Zoonotic diseases. It’s a strange phrase, and an even stranger concept – diseases that spread from animals to humans – but some diseases from pets can even be deadly. Find out how to keep both of you safe from the most common pet illnesses...

For many of us, pets are family. We talk to them, watch TV together, let them sleep on our beds.

But close contact can expose you to serious ailments that can spread from animals to humans.

That doesn’t mean you should ban pets from your home. The key to keeping yourself healthy is awareness and prevention, says Margaret Lewin, M.D., Medical Director of Cinergy Health and primary care internist in New York.

“Having pets can be safe for you, your family and the pet if you do your homework carefully beforehand – learning about the specific types of pet, potential risks, how to prevent health problems,” she says.

Read on to learn how to avoid getting 6 diseases from pets:

1.ToxoplasmosisWhat it is:One of the most common parasitic cat diseases. It’s caused by a microscopic critter called Toxoplasma gondii.

How the disease is transmitted:Cats who eat infected birds, rodents and other small animals pass the parasites’ eggs in their feces.

When you clean the litter box or do gardening where cats roam, you can accidently ingest infected feces, says veterinarian Eileen Ng, BVMS, of Western Veterinary Group in Lomita, Calif.

Kids face additional risk if they play in sandboxes that cats use as a litter box.

You – and your cat – can also get toxoplasmosis by eating uncooked meats (such as lamb, pork or beef) from an infected animal, Ng says.

In pets:Cats usually don’t show obvious symptoms, she says. It rarely causes significant medical problems in healthy animals.

But some may have fever, vomiting or diarrhea.

If so, ask your vet to do a blood test for toxoplasmosis. It’s treated with antibiotics, such as clindamycin, and drugs that prevent the parasite from reproducing.

There’s no vaccine.

Inhumans:Most healthy adults don’t develop a serious illness from toxoplasmosis. They may not even know they have it, says Janet Horn, M.D., Lifescript women’s health expert.

Symptoms, if noticed at all, are similar to the flu or mononucleosis: severe fatigue, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes and blurred or reduced vision, eye pain and redness.

They can last a month or more but go away without treatment, she says.

For young children, the elderly or anyone with a weakened immune system, toxoplasmosis is dangerous: When your body can’t fight the parasite, it damages the brain, eyes and other organs.

Pregnant women may also pass the disease to babies. Even if the parasite is dormant in the mother, it continues to live in her tissue and can cross the placenta to infect the fetus.

“Most infants infected in the womb are born with no symptoms. But they can develop them later in childhood. A few can be born with brain or eye damage,” Dr. Horn says.

Because of these risks, it’s standard practice to test pregnant women for toxoplasmosis.

Doctors may treat the parasite with antibiotics pyramethamine and sulfadiazine.

2. RingwormWhat it is: Ringworm is a fungal infection, not an actual worm, Ng says.

How the disease is transmitted: Petting an infected animal, most commonly a cat.

“It can go either way,” Ng notes. “You can give an animal ringworm, or they can give it to you.”

Pets typically get ringworms through contact with an infected animal. With people, the disease is transmitted by touching an infected person’s skin or contaminated items like unwashed clothing, shower surfaces and combs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In pets: Fur loss is common, because the infection damages hair follicles. This is often the only sign of infection, Ng says.

Vets check for ringworm using a black light. If fur glows green, Fluffy has it. Even if the black-light test is negative, they’ll do a fungal culture to double-check.

Topical shampoo can help, but oral antifungal medication is the best treatment, Ng says.

How the disease is transmitted: If you accidently swallow giardia (jee-AR-dee-uh) picked up from pet objects (like a toy or leash) contaminated with feces from an infected dog.

Dogs ingest eggs by eating another animal’s feces or licking that dog’s backside.

Once an animal or person has been infected, the parasite lives in the intestine and is passed through the feces. It can survive outside the body up to several months.

In pets: Giardia typically causes diarrhea in dogs, but they might not show symptoms, Ng says. Your vet will test a fecal sample for giardia eggs. If positive, it’s treated with oral dewormer medication.

In humans: Although some people don’t show any symptoms, most will have diarrhea, greasy stools, abdominal cramping, gas, nausea and a poor appetite.

Symptoms usually last up to six weeks, Dr. Horn says. If longer, they can lead to dehydration and weight loss.

Several prescription antibiotics, including metronidozole (Flagyl), are available to kill these parasites.

Protect yourself:

Wash hands after handling animals and their toys, leashes or feces.

Wear gloves when cleaning up after your pet.

Dispose of feces right away so pets can’t reinfect themselves.

5. SalmonellaWhat it is: A bacterial disease commonly associated with improperly cooked chicken, but you can get it from living reptiles too.

How the disease is transmitted:By handling a turtle, tortoise, iguana, snake or lizard. The disease is transmitted through reptile feces, and the bacterium clings to clothing and skin.

In pets:Salmonella occurs naturally in many reptiles and doesn’t usually make them sick. No salmonella treatment is typically needed, Ng says.

In humans:Symptoms last about a week and include diarrhea, fever and stomach pain.

However, if it spreads from intestines to other organs, antibiotics are required or the disease can be deadly.

Protect yourself:

Wash hands with soap and water immediately after handling a reptile.

Wash clothing that has came into contact with them.

Don’t allow reptiles to roam the house freely.

Keep reptiles out of the kitchen.

Disinfect surfaces using diluted bleach or the disinfectant Roccal-D (available at vets’ offices and online)

6. RabiesWhat it is:A viral disease in mammals.

Thanks to widespread vaccination, it’s extremely rare in house pets. Only 1.1% of cats and 0.3% of dogs tested positive for rabies in 2010, according to the CDC. Wild animals accounted for 92% of reported rabies cases.

How you get it:Through a bite from an infected animal, or less commonly, from a lick on an open cut.

When the rabies virus overtakes the animal’s nervous system in 10-14 days, they can lose the ability to eat or drink. Death occurs soon after.

Animals suspected of having rabies may be quarantined for 10-14 days (to see if they survive).

Rabies isn’t treatable in animals, so euthanasia is the only option after infection has occurred.

The only definitive diagnosis comes after death by testing a frozen section of the brain.

In humans: Rabies doesn’t usually cause symptoms until late in the disease, by which time the prognosis is grim, Dr. Horn says.

When they do occur, symptoms include fever, headache, confusion, anxiety, difficulty swallowing and insomnia.

If you’re bitten by a rabid animal and the disease is transmitted, get medical attention right away. Starting a monthlong series of shots immediately after exposure prevents the virus from taking hold in the body.

If infection sets in, there’s no treatment. “Except in a small number of cases, the disease is fatal,” Dr. Horn says.

Protect yourself:

Vaccinate dogs, cats and ferrets.

Get a pre-exposure shot if you work with animals or travel in undeveloped parts of the world where rabies is common.

Are You Pet Ready?Undaunted by the above information? Is your family ready to bring home a new puppy, kitten or rescue animal? Take our quiz and find out if now is the time to introduce a new furry (or scaly) family member.

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